You Keep Me Believing
by DocMcRegals
Summary: A series of 25 AU prompts solely based on OutlawQueen; tumblr challenge. You can find the challenge under #50AUsmemes
1. AU Prompt 1-Retail Workers

**Prompt: Retail Workers AU**

_Note: This may remind you of Baker's Dozen by somewhereapart-it didn't. I didn't notice the similarities until I stopped and checked for errors. To be clear, this isn't a copy of her story in anyway. I got this idea from an Alicia Keys song called "You Don't Know My Name". In the video she plays a waitress who works at this little coffee shop and there's always this guy who comes in and orders the same thing. She likes him and gets the courage to call him one day. I just had to point that out to avoid any confusion about this prompt. I do hope you all enjoy!_

_Xx_

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><p>"<em>Baby, Baby, Baby, from the day I saw you, I really, really wanted to catch your eye...but you don't know my name"-Alicia Keys<em>

She works in a coffee shop, and she hates it. But, its a steady job that pays the bills. It's certain not enough compared to the lavish lifestyle she was used to before but, she's had to take what she could get. It's the price you pay when you decide not to abort your baby and your parents cut you off. She hates coffee, the strong smell of the freshly ground dirt colored crap that people seem to be addicted to, but her son loves the smell. It's enough to lull him to sleep every night when she gets home.

He's 6 months old, her son Henry and she loves him more than anything. His father Daniel was killed just before he was born so, it's just the two of them. Their apartment is small and dingy but it's theirs. Of course she hates the fact that it's a one room loft; she could fit this small space into her old room back at home...gosh, probably three times over. While it's small and rather meager beginnings, it's worth it. Anything is better than the constant abuse she put up with from her mother. It's also better than the pacifistic ways of her father, who could only comfort her when mother wasn't looking. At least she's free from that she thinks to herself.

It's the same routine every morning, get up at the crack of dawn, if she's not already up(she's accepted the fact that Henry will probably never learn to differentiate between night and day) she feeds Henry and dresses him, takes him over to Mrs. Lucas (the generous but mean old woman who lives across the hall from her) and heads out to start her day. She takes the subway from her apartment on 96th street to her job at Starbucks over on 20th street. Of course since it's the middle of the winter time so she's bundled up incredibly well with her layers upon layers of clothing.

She clocks into work right on time, the aroma of freshly ground coffee once again staining her clothes. She reaches the register and he's waiting there, as usual with an alluring smile on his face. He always, always orders the white mocha espresso, extra foam and a scone to go. She thinks he's cute, really really cute, but Starbucks is a very busy franchise so she never has the time to talk to him. It doesn't go any further than her already knowing his order and having it ready to go for him by the time he reaches the counter. Their eyes linger for a second before he gives her a quick 'have a nice day', and then he's out of her life until tomorrow.

oOo

Friday, it rains and Henry gets sick so she's late, has to switch shifts with someone else, Julie of all people. It's late and she should be home with Henry, who was running a fever that morning but Mrs. Lucas swore she'd take care of him ("Can't have you two being evicted now can we?" she'd said as she shooed Regina out of her apartment that morning. It's raining and her baby is sick and all Regina wants, is for this day to hurry the fuck up and get over with. Her mind is consumed with all thoughts of Henry that she barely registers his voice. She looks up sharply when he calls her name. When did he learn that...oh, that's right, she's wearing her stupid name tag.

"You're late" she says with a small smile

"As are you; you're usually on the early morning shift, what happened?"

"It rained and, my son got sick"

"Your son?" he asks and God, she's never found a British accent has never sounded more sexier than ever.

"Mmhm; he's 6 months. His name's Henry" she says with a smile as the mystery man nods

"Henry, it's a strong name"

"I named him after my father, and my grandfather"

"Your grandfather's name is Henry also?"

"What? No! No, my grandfather's name is, or rather was, Xavier"

"Henry Xavier, it's a strong, noble name. Your husband must be-"

"Nope, no husband"

"Boyfriend?"

"Nope, I had one though, Henry's father...he passed away not long before Henry was born"

"I'm sorry"

"It's fine"

"Are your parents any help?"

"Nope; my mother kicked me out when I refused to have an abortion, or put Henry up for adoption"

"That's insane; I don't understand how a mother could do such a thing" He says and she chuckles

"Well, you certainly haven't met my mother" she says, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

oOo

Her break starts almost immediately after she takes his order. He offers her a seat and they spend the next hour talking, finally getting to know one another. By the time her break is over, he has to leave, return to the mystery job he has yet to tell her about.

"Well, I'd better get going and you-"

"Have to get back to work"

"Right; well don't work too hard. We can't have you too tired when you go home to Henry" he says with a smile as he heads for the door.

"Wait! I, I didn't get your name. I mean, since you already know mine and since we see each other so often, with you coming in here to get coffee all of the time" she says and he smiles softly at her.

"My name's Robin"

"Well, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Robin. Same time, same place?" she asks as he chuckles

"You can pretty much bet on it; I do hope your Henry gets better"

"Thank you"

"I'll see you later, Regina"

"Goodbye Robin"

xxx


	2. AU Prompt 2-BalletDancer

**Prompt:** Ballet/Dancer

_So, I went to see this amazing movie the other day called 'Beyond The Lights'. It's so freaking awesome and while I was watching it, I got inspired to do this prompt. I hope you all enjoy!_

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><p>He hated his job, but it was enough to pay the bills he thought to himself. It was enough to provide a decent living for he and his son Roland. His job was a job most people would dream to have, but not Robin Locksley. The last thing Robin wanted to be doing was babysitting a bunch of spoiled rich people, but it was the best his friend Little John could do so, he rolled with life's punches. Tonight he was working for Regina Mills, a world renowned ballerina who was doing a show in New York City. She danced with American Ballet and tonight was their huge performance of The Nutcracker. Of course he himself had never seen the woman, aside from the huge posters that hung on every street corner and on every billboard in Times Square. She'd just gotten off of a plane from London when he arrived that morning, so the closest he got to looking at her was seeing a small but thin woman in slacks and over-sized sunglasses.<p>

He wasn't able to tell anything about her, aside from the fact that she seemed to be untouchable to a point, with all of the people she had surrounding her. He was sure of one thing: the woman was one hell of a dancer. That much was made clear to him when he saw her dance on stage that night. What the critics said was true, she was able to pull at your heart strings just by her dancing alone. Robin had never found himself more captivated than when he watched her dance. He did however, meet her mother, Cora Mills and man, was that woman a bitch. After the performance, which was phenomenal even he had to admit, everything was a blur. He remembers her being ushered back to her hotel, and he was back to his usual job: standing outside of her hotel door, being invisible. That was his job and that was what he got paid to do. He had just returned from his break when he finally caught a glimpse of her. Man, was she beautiful he thought to himself as he slowly took her in. She wasn't that tall, though the heels she wore seemed to add much more height to her frame. She had the richest dark brown eyes that seemed to convey a thousand emotions. Her hair was semi long, but rich and beautiful just the same. There was a noticeable scar just above the right side of her lip, mysterious and alluring, just as its owner. She stopped when she noticed him looking at her. She seemed intrigued rather than annoyed by him, though there was an unreadable message in her eyes that, for some reason, shook him to his core.

"Regina, we have to-" her assistant Sidney began as she held up a hand

"Yes, I know; I'm gonna go and get freshened up. You'll make sure that no one enters this room, won't you?" Regina asked as Robin nodded

"Of course milady" Robin said as Regina sent him a smile before heading into her room, closing the door behind her.

"So, are you not going to let me in?" Sidney asked

"I'm afraid I can't do that" Robin said,

"I need to get in there"

"Sorry, no can do mate"

"I don't think you understood her; when she said no one in, she didn't mean me. She mean everybody else" Sidney said, just as Regina's mother came around the corner, staring at her assistant

"Why are you standing outside instead of inside with Regina? "

"Regina won't let me in and the bodyguard here is taking his job way to seriously. He's acting as if he's guarding the president or something" Sidney said, giving Robin an eye roll

"I'm assuming I have permission to enter" Cora said as Robin nodded, moving aside to let the older woman in

"Oh so she can-" Sidney began, only to be cut off by a scream from Cora, causing Robin to rush into the room.

"Regina? Regina oh my God! Regina what are you doing?!" Cora shouted as Robin rushed in, only to find Regina sitting on the ledge of her balcony

"Well why are you standing there, do something!" Cora shouted as Robin was blinked from his trance

"You, call 911" Robin said to Sidney who nodded, quickly fleeing the room

"You, stay back and try to remain as calm as possible, I'm gonna try and talk to her, see if I can't get her to come back over the railing" Robin said as Cora nodded, looking more fearful than he had ever seen her look before.

"Right just, make sure-"

"I'll do my best ma'am" Robin said before cautiously stepping out onto the balcony

oOo

"Regina?" Robin called out as she remained sitting there, her back towards them, her eyes focused on the New York City skyline

"Regina, what's going on?" Robin asked, getting no response

"Can you look at me for a second, please?" he asked, slowly inching closer to the ledge as she finally turned to look him in the eye

"You still can't see me" Regina said sadly as she slowly slid off the edge

"No!" Robin shouted, rushing towards the ledge, grabbing Regina's arm just as she was about to fall 20 feet to her death

"Grab my hand, grab my hand!" Robin shouted as Regina stared into his eyes for a brief moment before her own closed, her grip loosening

"Hey, hey dammit look at me! Shit, Regina look at me! I see you, I see you" Robin said as the young Brunette looked up at him.

There was something in that moment that changed as Regina slowly tried to pull herself back up over the railing, with Robin's help of course. Once she was safely back on the ledge, he held her close, staring into her eyes, that is until her mother came and slowly pulled her away.

"Come on Regina, it's okay, you're okay. Let's get you inside" She said softly, leaving Robin alone on the ledge as Regina's team continued to prep her for her after party as though nothing had happened.

oOo

"It's supposed to be easy, babysitting these celebrities" Little John said as he and Robin talked some time later

"The way she looked at me John..." Robin said, unable to get Regina's face just before she almost fell out of his mind

"I know; I'm sorry you had to deal with something like this on your first night on the job mate" The burly man said

"Do you think I could talk to her? Her mother's not letting me anywhere near her" Robin said

"There'll be a press conference in 20, she wants to thank you publicly" John said as Robin stared at him in disbelief

"Thank me publicly? The woman should be in a bloody hospital!" Robin said

"She's fine; she had a tad too much to drink and slipped" John explained as Robin shook his head

"Little John, I've seen what too much to drink looks like and that, that wasn't a wasted woman. That was a cry for help, that was a suicide attempt" Robin argued as Little John sighed, running a hand through his hair

"Robin, what's done is done; besides, they were more than grateful for what you did. The mother she, wanted me to give you this" John said, handing Robin a check for fifty thousand dollars

"That's what she's worth to them, fifty bloody fucking thousand dollars!?"

"Robin, think of what you could do with that money!" John argued as Robin stared at him in disbelief

"This is hush money; they want me to keep quiet about the truth, about what really happened" Robin realized as Little John sighed

"Let's just, go downstairs to the press conference aye mate?"

oOo

"After the performance, my team and I decided to have a little, post celebratory gathering and, I had one too many appletini's and I fell over the railing" Regina said with a smile as the cameras flashed around her

"Officer Locksley, you were there, was this a suicide attempt?" one of the reporters asked, obviously not buying Regina's story

"This isn't an interview for the Inquiry, this is a simple statement to the press" Cora said

"We just want to know what he has to say; he's the one who saved her. He's entitled to answer any questions we have, unless that is, he's signed some sort of confidentiality agreement where he keeps what really happened up there on that balcony a secret" the reporter pressed as all eyes fell on Robin

"I had been standing outside of the hotel room on duty when I heard Ms. Mill's mother shouting. I rushed in, found Regina hanging from the balcony. Being the honorable man that I am, I pulled her to safety. Once I was sure that she was in no imminent danger, it was clear that she'd had, one too many to drink. Thank You" Robin said, moving away from the podium as Regina pulled him back

"He's being modest; if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be alive and for that, I am truly grateful. Thank You, officer Locksley" she said, giving him a peck on the cheek, causing the photographers in the room to go wild as the two exited the press conference, leaving Cora to do damage control.

"You didn't look comfortable up there" Regina said rather plainly as she took a seat in one of the chairs just outside of where the press conference was being held

"Excuse me?"

"You looked as though the spotlight is your least favorite place. Well you'd better get used to it; you saved a celebrity. You just earned your 15 minutes of fame" she said as Robin stared at her in disbelief

"Don't, don't talk like that; not when less than an hour ago you were about to jump 20 floors down to your death" Robin said as Regina gave him an indignant look

"And less than an hour ago, you were the cop that was screaming 'I see you'. Tell me, what is it you see?" Regina asked as Robin stared at her long and hard before gritting out

"Nothing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a son to get home to" Robin said, turning in the opposite direction.

oOo

"Now Regina, you'll have to help me understand what happened up on that balcony" Cora said to her daughter as she helped her get undressed after the press conference

"Nothing happened mother; I had one too many-"

"Don't lie to me dear; I know you were as sober as can be sitting on that balcony"

"You didn't ride in the car with me so you don't know-"

"I know you sweetheart; is this come cry for attention? Is this because of what happened to-"

"Don't, mother! Don't you dare bring up Daniel" Regina said sharply as Cora sighed

"I'm sorry; but, I need to understand Regina, how did this-"

"I had a moment, nothing more than that"

"I hope so, because look around you Regina, there is nothing for you to cry about"

"I know, I know, it was stupid" Regina said with a sigh, running a hand through her hair

"Well you can't afford to be stupid Regina! Do you know who you are?!" Cora snapped as Regina stared at her

"You'll never let me forget who I am, who you made me to be, will you?" Regina asked as Cora glared at her

"It's best that you don't fight the hand that feeds you dear" Cora said, letting out a deep breath, taking Regina's hand into her own

"It was a mistake, right darling?" Cora said softly as Regina nodded

"It was a mistake mother" Regina said

"Promise me that it's a moment that won't happen again?" Cora asked

"Okay"

"I wanna hear you say it Regina"

"I promise, it will never happen again mother"

"Good" Cora said with a nod as Regina stood, making her way towards the bathroom.

That night, all Regina could dream of, was the officer who had saved her life, his words ringing in her ears

_I see you..._

xxx


	3. AU Prompt 3-Celebrities

**Prompt: Celebrities AU**

_The song used in this one shot is from the show Nashville, starring Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere; it's also the title of this story. Oh and Casey's Irish Pub and Grille is an actual pub in Los Angeles. I own nothing, not even the prompt._

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><p>The small pub was filled with people for a rainy Friday Night, and Regina Mills happened to be one of them. It was a regular occurrence for the brunette and her blonde best friend Lauren Belle. They usually found themselves at Casey's Irish Pub and Grille on Friday Nights after working a rather long and depressing shift at First National Bank. Though she wasn't Irish herself (her best friend was), she did know quite a lot about Irish culture, and one thing was for sure: Casey's was definitely Irish friendly. After Lauren drug to the pub 4 years ago one night after work, she'd been a frequent there since. She was such a regular that they knew her by name, and what she wanted to drink. The owner, a man by the name of Doc, was an older gentleman so his son John, or Little John as he was called, ran the place. Little John was skeptical of Regina at first, given her fiery personality when they first met (which was later attributed to one too many appletini's), but as he got to know her the two soon formed a close relationship. Nothing romantic, more so like a brothersister relationship. Tonight was no different of course. When she walked into the pub there was a smart comment ready strictly for John, who had a witty retort ready for her as she walked in. The first place she went was the bar, where the bartender Alan had her drink of choice ready and waiting.

"Thanks Alan, you're a real doll" Regina said with a smile as Alan nodded

"Anytime Regina; ya know, there's a new band playing here tonight" Alan said casually as he cleaned one of the shot glasses

"Oh? Who'd Doc get this time?"

"This band called The Arrows"

"The Arrows? Well, that's original" Regina said with a snort, placing her glass onto the counter before running a hand through her new short hair cut

"I'm still getting used to that look on you" Alan said of her new do

"I'm a divorced woman Alan, it's what you do; you cut off all of your fucking hair, you let loose and have fun" Regina said with a laugh as Alan shook his head in amusement

"I'm just glad to see ya happy again lass" Alan said, his voice thick with a heavy Irish accent

"I'm glad to be happy to Alan...oh look! There's Lauren, I'd better go, good to see you!"Regina said, hopping down from her seat at the bar to greet her friend.

oOo

"Regina! You beat me here!" Lauren said with a laugh as she embraced her friend

"Easy work load today, what about you?"

"Ugh, she's still a royal bitch; sometimes, I hate that working for the catholic church" The blonde said with a sigh, running a hand through her curls

"I don't think you're allowed to talk about mother superior like that"

"I don't work for her per say but...the woman's a real bitch Regina, you can't deny that"

"I'm not exactly the most religious person but...I do respect the higher powers out there, bitchy mother superiors and all" Regina said with a shrug as John got onto the stage to present the new group Alan had told her about.

"Oh my God, I love The Arrows!" Lauren said with a grin

"You've heard of them before?" Regina asked as her best friend stared in disbelief

"Oh my, Regina! How have you not heard of them?! They're like, only one of the biggest successes of the year! They came to the US from London and Ireland to get a record deal but no one wanted to sign them. They got their music copyrighted, started publishing their music on YouTube, got millions of hits and a huge social media following...they're up for 4 Grammy's this year and their debut album hasn't even come out yet" Lauren said

"Wow; where have I been that I haven't heard of them before?" Regina asked

"Hiding away in your boring bank job" Lauren muttered

"I heard that y'know?" Regina said with a glare just as the band came onto the stage.

Regina couldn't deny that the group was full of very attractive men, especially the lead singer. Though he wasn't very tall, he made up for it other ways. He was a bit rugged, in a way that Regina found attractive. His voice was the thing that attracted her to him though. It was smooth but held a certain edge to it. His English accent however was an even bigger turn on. As the group performed several of their hits, Regina found herself locked in on the lead singer. She found herself dancing around to their music, singing along with the lyrics as well (they were simple and catchy). The words to the songs showed depth, passion, and great lyrical content, something Regina enjoyed in music. She soon found herself searching for them on her social media sites and buying their music on iTunes during a set break.

oOo

"I see you've become a follower of The Arrows" Lauren said with a grin

"They're good, they're really good" Regina said with a nod, just as the band came back on stage

"Thank you all so much, you're a great audience" The lead singer said, his eyes scanning the crowd, giving the female attendants a warm smile.

"Now this next song is a song that my mate Killian and I wrote for this little show called Nashville. And as usual, we need a lovely lady to help us out with this song...any takers?" The lead singer asked as a throng of women rushed towards the stage.

"Regina, you love that show! I'll bet it's a song you like" Lauren said, shoving her friend towards the stage

"Lauren!" Regina hissed

"What? You're an amazing singer and, you've been staring at Robin all night" Lauren said

"Robin?"

"Yeah, that's the the lead singer's name. You know, the really attractive guy who's been singing most of the songs" Lauren said with a smirk

"Oh, so that's his name"

"Yes Regina...God, you're so slow! Go up there and sing with him!" Lauren said, shoving her friend closer to the stage

"But Laur-"

"Regina Mills!" Lauren said, just as Robin's eyes met with Regina's

"How about you milady? Would you like to come up on stage?" Robin asked, holding out a hand to her.

"Okay" Regina said softly, glancing back at Lauren who gave her a huge grin as she walked up on stage.

"What's your name?"

"Regina, Regina Mills" She said, extending a hand for him to shake

"Pleased to meet you, Regina Mills"

"Likewise" She said with a smile

"Do you watch Nashville?" Robin asked

"It's one of my favorites"

"Well them, I'm sure you've heard the song 'Believing' then?" Robin said with a smile

"I have; I love it"

"Perfect...alright ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Ms. Regina Mills" Robin said as the crowd began to clap, though some of the ladies in the crowd gave her hateful stares as Robin pulled out a stool for her to sit on.

"It's a simple song so, if you know it, feel free to sing along" Robin said as he too took a seat and began strumming his guitar

_I don't remember,  
>How I got here,<br>When my rose colored glasses disappeared _

_Sometimes my fingers,  
>They can lose touch,<br>Start letting go of everything I love _

_When I get the feeling  
>That my prayers have hit the ceiling<br>And those darker days when my faith has lost all meaning _

_You keep me believing _

_My fears are safe here  
>Held in your hands<br>When I'm broken  
>You put me back together again <em>

_All that I once was,  
>All I could be,<br>When I've forgotten,  
>Baby you remind me, <em>

_When I get the feeling  
>That my prayers have hit the ceiling<br>And those are the days when my faith has lost all meaning _

_You keep me believing _

_If every Red heart starts beating Blue  
>All you are to me baby I'll be that for you.<em>

_When I get the feeling  
>That my prayers have hit the ceiling<br>And those darker days when my faith has lost all meaning _

_When I get the feeling  
>That my prayers have hit the ceiling<br>And those darker days when my faith has lost all meaning _

_You keep me believing _

_You keep me believing _

_You keep me believing_

oOo

By the time Robin and Regina finished singing, the crowd had erupted into applause. Robin and Regina however, were caught up in each other and the music. Regina was the first to break contact, giving Robin a smile before she stood, making her way off stage, running straight into Lauren.

"Regina, oh my...oh my God! That performance was, that was amazing! I saw a couple of people recoding it. You're sure to be a YouTube hit" Lauren squealed, hugging her friend

"Thanks, I'm not sure how I feel about this possibly being on YouTube but-"

"That's besides the point! That was great! I knew you had a great voice but, that was..you two really have chemistry" Lauren said, causing Regina to roll her eyes

"We only just met Laur, there's no way we could-"

"Excuse me, Regina?" Robin said from behind her, causing her to turn around and face him

"Robin, hi" Regina said with a smile

"Milady, I have to say...I have never, had that type of experience with a fan before in my life" Robin said, causing Regina to blush

"I...thanks; I love to sing but-"

"You should do it more often" Robin said

"Thank You"

"I know this is all of a sudden but, would you care to have a drink with me?" Robin asked, as Regina looked back at Lauren

"I-"

"She'd love to" Lauren said quickly as Robin smiled, taking Regina's hand in his

"Just go; don't ask questions. You'll thank me later" Lauren said

Lauren was right; a few months later when Regina and Robin had moved in together, she thanked Lauren for making her take that leap of faith.

xxx


End file.
